GCH in New York City: Strengthening Partnerships for City Diplomacy

While the GCH has been actively engaged at the UN High-Level Political Forum (HLPF), advocating for greater recognition of local and regional governments (LRGs) in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 11, its mission in New York also provided an opportunity to deepen dialogue with one of the world’s leading cities in multilateral engagement.

A highlight of the visit was the meeting between GCH President and Mayor of Geneva, Christina Kitsos, and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Despite their different contexts, the two cities share many characteristics, including their diversity, international outlook and openness to the world. They also face similar urban challenges, such as homelessness and the shortage of affordable housing. Their discussion focused on how Geneva and New York, as the world’s two principal UN host cities, can work more closely to strengthen multilateralism at a time of growing global challenges.

Among the avenues explored was the UN Forum of Mayors, the unique UN platform that enables mayors to participate directly in the work of the UN, alongside Member States, UN entities and civil society. On this occasion, GCH President Kitsos invited Mayor Mamdani to consider participating in a future edition of the Forum of Mayors. Meanwhile, New York City will host the U20 Cities Summit that will take place in September, in the margins of the UN General Assembly.

The visit also underscored New York City’s longstanding leadership in localizing the SDGs. Under the leadership of former Commissioner for International Affairs, Aissata Camara, New York became the first city in the world to publish a Voluntary Local Review (VLR) in 2019, setting a precedent that has since inspired hundreds of cities worldwide. By developing local indicators and reporting on SDG implementation, VLRs have become a powerful tool for evidence-based policymaking and public accountability.

Building on this legacy, GCH, together with the mayor of Basel and deputy mayor of Bern, met with Aissata Camara to exchange views on the future of city diplomacy and the growing role of LRGs in international affairs. As more cities seek to engage with the UN and other multilateral processes, participants emphasized the importance of stronger cooperation among city networks and institutional partners to better support LRGs in their international engagement and ensure that local perspectives continue to inform global decision-making.